The
Life Story of U.S. Hemp
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The
Story Starts Here
This
is an introduction to a series of books about the
life and times of Ulysses Samuel Hemp. The wheels
start spinning in 1950 and roll from a Tennessee
tobacco farm to the Marijuana Trails of Central and
South America. U.S. Hemp visited worlds with customs
and languages that he translates from first hand
experience and an abstract sense of observation.
The land behind the old Ford is the farm Sam grew
up on. The man in front of the old Ford was Sam’s
grand pa. Sam was always appreciative to have been
lucky enough to be raised by this man on this land.
Sam never wanted more than to be left alone to sing
pray and farm this land with his family.
Pa
Duffy’s ancient and secret association with
the Free Mason’s went with Sam like a guardian
angel. He was afforded refuge, assistance and the
benefit of the doubt at the darkest times. The sense
of right and wrong combined with the survival skills
he acquired from his teacher and friend, Pa Duffy,
accompanied him through life.
1950
to 1960
Hill
Music
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Sam
was a result of Scottish tobacco immigrants
and the indigenous owners of the tobacco
fields that produced this powerful and
expensive herb. Tobacco was a highly
valued medicine exclusive to his region
of the world.
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Tobacco farms were peacefully
given as dowries to the immigrating Scottish farmers.
They settled
down with the local women and began a new life in the
herb rich hills west of the Atlantic. Sam’s maternal
side of the family was called Indians because Columbus
got lost and thought he had discovered India. The name
stuck the flag didn’t. Sam was raised in a mixture
of Scottish/Indian religion, language and culture. The
contrast of these ancient peoples mixing their words,
melodies, medicines, magic and blood has been denied
and unwritten because of the "unspoken racism". “Sam’s
Native American Mothers” wrote the laws and hummed
the tunes that everybody danced to. They made the medicine
and magic in this matriarchal society.
Sam
needed extra protection because of a secret they
held. He had to be kissed on the lips by a man that
had
never seen his own father. This had to be done soon
after birth. The hunt was on.
Smokehouse:
Smokehouse
tells of Sam’s first recollections of his family
butchering their hogs and putting them in the smokehouse
on his great grandfathers farm. Sam’s vivid first
memories of his childhood start the blood pumping in
the heart of this story early as he describes this ancient
family ritual.
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Sam
and Cousin Fred were raised together
like brothers in the hills. They both
became unique musician with an incredible
history. Sam and cousin Fred’s
adventures span 5 decades from the barnyard
chicken coups to the high dollar cockfighting
pits of Mexico. There were no dull moments.
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Sam
Sang Bass:
Sam
had 3 things going on in his life: chores, church and
music. Sam’s grand-pa sang bass in some respectable
gospel quartets and he had Sam singing bass and cousin
Fred singing tenor in a child quartet and performing
at age 6. This chapter mostly deals with Sam’s
musical and religious roots from 1950 to 1960.
Going
to Mexico:
This
chapter deals more with the farm, Sam’s sense of
adventure and his relationship with animals and love
for tilling the soil. Sam and his cousin Freddie lived
this natural 1950’s Huck Fin and Tom Sawyer life
that people dream about. It is important to recall the
good and simple things from those days. There is a literal
flood of action as Sam and cousin Fred try to float to
Mexico on a homemade raft via Trammel; the small creek
that cut through the valley of their ancestors. The excitement
starts as they load a crudely made log raft with an old
guitar, 4 cans of Vienna sausages and a box of saltine
crackers and Ole Shep and Leroy the dogs. This chapter
starts with Ole Shep falling in the creek during the
spring rains. Trammel creek was just waking up from its
winter nap when Sam and Freddie pried the heavy raft
into the rising current. These early stories are very
telling about what made U.S. Hemp tick later on in life.
Left-Handed
Boy in a White Man’s World:
This
chapter brings us to the source of Sam’s religion.
Sam’s views on racism, sexism, capitalism,
communism and cynicism all started in the Southern
Missionary Baptist Church of Salome. It also deals
with the actual dilemmas of being left-handed in
a right-handed world controlled by white men. Sam
is left-handed but he played his guitars strung normally
for right-handed musicians. Hendrix and Paul McCartney
are left-handed but they turned their strings and
guitars upside down to play them. Sam said that the
guitar was actually a left-handed instrument. There
is a good deal of guitar talk that would be of interest
to any musicians that wonder what side of the brain
the music is pouring out. Sam goes through the history
of the guitars he has played and owned as well as
a lot of practical information about guitars, guitar
players and their girlfriends.
Decoration
Day:
Decoration
day is a ritual in the Tennessee hills where the
graves are decorated with flowers and the dead are
remembered. Families come out and spend the day visiting
with each other, eating and talking about their loved
ones. They pass down the old stories that bind them
all together as families and as a community. The
doors are open to all that have family resting there
and even republicans were welcome to eat with them
on Decoration Day.
Sam’s
recollection of the long tables covered in fine hand
made tablecloths and piles of the finest foods the
south had to offer are mouth watering. Sam said:
there is nothing more satisfying than judging the
competition between southern women in the kitchen.
This chapter will have some family recipes and Sam’s
grandmothers’ secret weapons in the farm kitchen.
December
9th 2007 Aunt Lallie Mae Cates died. She was Sam’s
mother’s first cousin and like a mother to
Sam. She was the undisputed queen of the kitchen
on both sides of Trammel creek. She will be deeply
missed, sorrowfully mourned and honorably mentioned
in the Life Story of U.S. Hemp. Her “Angel
Biscuits” delightfully defied gravity.
The
1952 Fender Telecaster:
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The
1952 Fender Telecaster in the photo is
the first electric guitar Sam ever looked
at, touched, picked up or played. When
Sam was 5 years old he played this guitar.
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He
had to set down in the big green vinyl living room
chair at his uncle Eugene's house in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sam's would play until his body would ache from holding
it up. Later Sam's cousin Fred took this Tele on
the road with David Allen Coe for several years.
Sam recorded with this guitar later in Nashville
and in Austin Texas. This particular 1952 Telecaster
is one of Sam's all time favorite guitars. Sam’s
uncle Eugene bought it in 1953 for $125.00 in Nashville.
U.S.
Hemp has recorded a great deal of music with this
particular guitar and we will be mixing down some
of this vintage electric music and publishing it
shortly.
The
red Gibson was a 345 Stereo with a twang bar. That
was considered a Rock and Roll Cadillac and this
is the same model as Lucille (B.B. King's Guitar).
This particular guitar never sounded good and had
a boring neck (it was a red lemon).
Sam
always said that when you find that perfect 1959
Les Paul that looks like it was barely played there
was a reason why. Sam’s stories have a lot
of interesting and practical guitar player information.
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